The St. Louis region’s four ports continue to chug along as a major Midwest economic engine, with investment, expansion and long-range planning showing no signs of losing momentum.
Operating along a 70-mile stretch of the Mississippi River, the regional port network includes much more than St. Louis proper. For example, the Kaskaskia Regional Port District (KRPD) is the 12th-largest inland port district in the country, while America’s Central Port in Granite City, Illinois, is home to two harbors that move 3 million tons of freight annually.
“All of the ports in the region continue to invest in enhancing their facilities, and several of the projects that are planned, underway, or recently completed. Infrastructure project selection focuses on freight reliability and efficiency that benefits all modes of transportation,” said Mary Lamie, the St. Louis Regional Freightway’s Executive Vice President – Multimodal Enterprises, an economic development enterprise of Bi-State Development. “Modal flexibility and connectivity provide shippers a competitive advantage. Engagement and advocacy for projects start years before funding opportunities are announced. Public and private sector leaders are investing in the St. Louis region – Ingram, TRRA (Merchants/MacArthur Bridge/IL/3rd Main Railroad Track, Madison Yard), IDOT and MoDOT’s continuing investment in the I-270 Chain of Rocks Bridge, etc.”
The Freightway recently released its 2027 Priority Projects List - a collection of 29 projects totaling more than $9.2 billion of infrastructure upgrades across the Bi-State St. Louis region. As of May 2026, more than $581 million in projects on the list had been completed.
Nearly $3.8 billion in total funding has been secured, and construction is currently underway on projects totaling $1.6 billion. With 41% of total project costs funded, additional projects are expected to advance to construction soon.
Lamie said the largest single project on the 2027 list – and one of the highest priorities is the new terminal at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, now estimated to exceed $3 billion. Close to $1 billion has been secured to advance several supporting projects. She said the ongoing work on I-270 in both Missouri and Illinois and the Rte. 3 access improvements in Illinois are also high priorities.
“Given the interconnectedness of the region’s freight network, these improvements also benefit users of the region’s port system,” Lamie said.
Lamie said speakers at FreightWeekSTL, Freightway’s regional industry conference in May, emphasized that inland waterways such as those in the St. Louis region support supply chain reliability and underscored the need for sustained infrastructure investment to maximize returns and maintain system performance.
She said (St. Louis has a) strategic location as a hub where multiple freight modes intersect, making reliable waterways infrastructure essential to the efficiency of the broader national freight network. Speakers highlighted the interconnected nature of the network, noting that goods frequently move between truck, rail and barge as part of a seamless logistics system, she said.
“It makes sense then that the strength of inland waterways directly impacts the efficiency of the broader supply chain and the competitiveness of industries that depend on it,” Lamie said.
A handful of speakers also pointed out the challenges within the inland waterways system, including capacity limitations and aging infrastructure; reliability depends on continued investment in key assets such as locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Lamie said Tracy Zea of the Waterways Council Inc. highlighted how navigation constraints, seasonal conditions and system inefficiencies can reduce throughput and create ripple effects across supply chains that extend far beyond the river system itself.
Zea singled out Lock and Dam 25 on the Mississippi River, just a little upriver from St. Louis in Winfield, Missouri, as an infrastructure investment that would most improve reliability for shippers in the next few years.
Lamie said other STL speakers, such as Ken Eriksen, Managing Member and Strategic Advisor at Polaris Analytics and Consulting, said growing domestic investment in manufacturing and infrastructure is contributing to a resurgence for the U.S. maritime and inland waterways system. He encouraged industry stakeholders to closely monitor indicators such as barge fleet capacity, transportation volumes across modes, and shifting consumer demand as they plan for the next 12 to 24 months.
A rundown of action at the four main spokes of the St. Louis region’s port system shows that regionalism, expansion, and investment are critical priorities.
St. Louis Port Authority
The Port Authority of the City of St. Louis supports economic development in the City’s 10,000-acre Port District, which lies along the City’s 19 miles of Mississippi River frontage. In addition to managing leases for city-owned property in this area, the Authority works with shipping stakeholders across the Bi-State area.
A priority for the St. Louis Port Authority is redeveloping the former South Refuse site located at 4230 South First St. adjacent to the Mississippi River and I-55. This 11.6-acre city-owned site will be repurposed for port operations. The site has direct barge, rail, and truck accessibility. The upstream end will have 2400 feet of mooring. Union Pacific Railroad is the rail industrial lead. Union Pacific has a rail spur into the Kinder Morgan tank farm to the north and a spur into the Watco warehouse immediately to the south.
The project encompasses construction of a new $13 million South Refuse complex to the west and $3 million for riverfront site development. Contingent on funding, a rail spur that accommodates nine cars, a 400-foot sheet-metal dock, and a warehouse up to 90,000 sq. ft. could be part of the project scope.
The Port Authority also recently authorized a 25-year sublease with updated rate and tonnage royalties to SCF Lewis & Clark Terminals for its Municipal River Terminal (MRT), the Clinton St. warehouse, the Tyler Street grain facility, and two vacant parcels. The Port Authority worked with Dan Lester of Ingram Marine Group – of which SCF Lewis & Clark Terminals is a subsidiary - on the new lease. Taylor said the move is designed to revise the MRT’s footprint. The revision and new lease terms would facilitate upgrades to 11,000 feet of track, the reinstatement of an access point at the floodgate, new employment opportunities, and the MRT’s ability to accommodate unit trains.
“I think it’s important for people to realize that we are by far the busiest inland port. We have approximately 130 facilities in our harbor on both sides of the river. We just have so many different options,” said Susan Taylor, the Port Authority’s director.
Kaskaskia Regional Port District
The KRPD is an Illinois government unit focused on economic development in Monroe, Randolph, and parts of St. Clair County. It has five terminals across the district, each with a unique combination of infrastructure assets and transportation linkages.
Brent Donovan, KRPD’s General Manager, said there is a tremendous amount of investment taking place across the district contributing to its continued growth as part of the St. Louis regional freight network.
“At KRPD #1 in New Athens, we recently broke ground on a $10 million rail improvement project funded through the State of Illinois’ Rebuild Illinois program. The project will construct a new rail loop and make other improvements that will increase rail capacity, reduce switching time, and improve overall efficiency at the terminal,” Donovan said. “We also recently received an $11.3 million MARAD Port Infrastructure Development Program award for our KRPD #2 South Dock project in Red Bud, with an additional $5 million state match. This project will significantly expand our ability to handle additional commodities and support future industrial development at the terminal. We are also evaluating opportunities for additional liquid bulk infrastructure and other improvements that would complement this expansion at KRPD #2.”
“Another major development has been the integration of the former Southwest Regional Port District into KRPD. This expands our footprint and gives us additional opportunities to invest in and develop port infrastructure along the Mississippi River system. We see this as an important step toward creating a stronger, more coordinated port district and positioning these facilities for long-term growth.”
In addition, Donovan said, KRPD continues to pursue improvements throughout the district, including $200,000 in Community Project Funding from Congressman Mike Bost for rehabilitation of the Kellogg Dock rail infrastructure, improvements at the Evansville Terminal, and a feasibility study examining a potential pipeline connection that would serve Scott Air Force Base and MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. Senator Tammy Duckworth recently advanced $2 million in congressionally directed spending to move the pipeline project into Phase I.
America’s Central Port
America’s Central Port District serves a 200-square-mile region with its headquarters located within a 1,200-acre rail- and river-served industrial park in Granite City, Illinois. The Port is one of the largest freight hubs in the Midwest.
Dennis Wilmsmeyer, ACP’s executive director, detailed a long list of improvements happening at the facility: C & 7th Street Road repaving & rail crossing upgrades, a pump station rehab, a warehouse dock modification, truck staging and calling lot development, railroad grade crossing improvement, the Granite City harbor dock extension, and the Granite City harbor terminal improvements.
“America’s Central Port District continues to attract new tenants and users to the Port and has been especially successful in teeing up expansion opportunities with existing tenants. Two sizeable tenant expansions are currently in the works and are expected to be announced in the next few months,” Wilmsmeyer said. “Construction continues at the Port with the recent completion of a new 80,000-bushel grain bin at the Madison Harbor, complete rehabilitation of the Port’s Main Lead Track for Norfolk Southern access to the Granite City Harbor, including an adjacent storage track, complete rehabilitation of C Street and a portion of W 7th Street with full-depth concrete to support truck access to our warehouses, warehouse dock rehabilitation, electrical improvements to an existing 55,000-square-foot building, office and restroom renovations in our warehouses, to name a few of our larger projects. The Port continues to invest its resources, as well as federal and state grant funds, in order to upgrade its assets and make the facilities more efficient.”
America’s Central Port’s Master Plan was completed in 2025 and contained 60 waterside and landside projects totaling $356 million. Of those 60, ten are in the planning and design phase, and four have been completed - the Madison Harbor Terminal Improvements (#3 in the master plan), West 7th and C Street Reconstruction (#23), Building 203 Redevelopment - Phase II (#29), and Mid-Coast Rail Yard Track Expansion (#43).
Jefferson County (MO) Port Authority
The JCPA covers the entire eastern border of Jefferson County, MO, south of St. Louis. JCPA promotes its ability to capitalize on Missouri’s transportation infrastructure while marketing its main port development in Herculaneum. The initial port project in Jefferson County is ambitious. It includes a planned Container-On-Vessel (COV) development with a multimodal port facility to serve the transportation of bulk commodities and containers via barge, rail, and truck.
JCPA said the new port could serve as a link in the new north-south waterway trade lane connecting the Midwest to the lower Mississippi River. Ports in southern Louisiana may need feeder services throughout the bistate region and other upstream inland port facilities. Total project costs are still being determined.
In 2022, the Jefferson County Port Authority received $25 million from the State of Missouri to support development of the Container-On-Vessel port. In late summer 2024, the Jefferson County Port Authority (JCPA) purchased 18 acres along the Mississippi River for $18 million.
A new port entrance road is under construction and is expected to be completed in summer 2026. The planned Broadway Extension Road will provide additional access within the proposed development.
Many think the site is ideal to serve advanced battery manufacturing due to the critical minerals that can be produced in Missouri necessary for batteries – such as cobalt, nickel, copper, lead, and zinc. Doe Run Lead Co. and U.S. Strategic Minerals can produce these metals and minerals from resources in the region.
